Lauren

Lives in Morwell

I love the Latrobe Valley because that’s where my family is, so I feel a really strong, social connection to Morwell because my whole family’s here. I moved away for five years, and it was really isolating to be so detached from family.
It’s such a beautiful, natural place so when I made it back here nine months ago, I felt an instant relief sort of as I drove into the driveway and I was like, ’oh gosh, it’s so nice to be around these beautiful trees and all this open space’.
I lived in St Kilda so it was so busy all the time, but I just felt so relieved to be here.
I just love being able to run out, not even on a trail if I don’t have to just because it’s so easy to be running just through the trees and everything like that.
I have gone out and walked a couple of the trails that are around here to, but I do want to do a bit more of that you know, go to a few more of our beautiful national parks that we have because they are just so abundant and really easy to get to here.
Another beautiful thing that I love here is the farmers markets. You don’t really have anything as nice as these ones that I’ve been to anywhere else. I love going to the one that is in Traralgon. There’s apparently going to be a beautiful market, not so much a farmer’s one, in Mirboo North, which I’m really excited about.
So the fresh local produce that’s everywhere is just, there’s nothing like it in the supermarkets or anything, so l love that.

Lauren

Lives in Morwell

I love the Latrobe Valley because that’s where my family is, so I feel a really strong, social connection to Morwell because my whole family’s here. I moved away for five years, and it was really isolating to be so detached from family.
It’s such a beautiful, natural place so when I made it back here nine months ago, I felt an instant relief sort of as I drove into the driveway and I was like, ’oh gosh, it’s so nice to be around these beautiful trees and all this open space’.
I lived in St Kilda so it was so busy all the time, but I just felt so relieved to be here.
I just love being able to run out, not even on a trail if I don’t have to just because it’s so easy to be running just through the trees and everything like that.
I have gone out and walked a couple of the trails that are around here to, but I do want to do a bit more of that you know, go to a few more of our beautiful national parks that we have because they are just so abundant and really easy to get to here.
Another beautiful thing that I love here is the farmers markets. You don’t really have anything as nice as these ones that I’ve been to anywhere else. I love going to the one that is in Traralgon. There’s apparently going to be a beautiful market, not so much a farmer’s one, in Mirboo North, which I’m really excited about.
So the fresh local produce that’s everywhere is just, there’s nothing like it in the supermarkets or anything, so l love that.

I absolutely love the Latrobe Valley and the wider Gippsland region. I did a lot of travel in my 20s right around Australia and overseas and I think you could go two ways. You either go, ‘I’m never going home’, or you get an appreciation for how good you’ve got…

I like living in the Latrobe Valley because it allows me to give back to my community and to feel included as part of a community. So presenting myself in the Latrobe Valley has allowed me to give back to my community by participating in active and social events.